The Rebels
by Spiritwind of FireClan
Summary: [Story of the dogs in Hawk's Flight] When six dogs are neglected and, by chance, run away on the same gloomy morning, will they be successful in finding happiness? Follow them in their journey, where they will face hardships the Clans have never known.
1. The Great Escape

**This is the story of the dogs in Hawk's Flight. I wrote this a while ago, my original idea was to make a dog warriors, but i decided to put them in my story. So, here you go! Enjoy!**

_Buddy_

This couldn't be happening! He _had_ to be dreaming. Buddy, the one-and-a-half-year-old golden retriever, was dancing around in a yard full of toys. And, what's more, there was an all-you-can-eat buffet, with real meat, just for him. Buddy hopped around, positively beaming. Skipping through a sea of squeaky toys, he made his way to the food. Just as he leaved over to take a bite out of teh biggest t-bone, the dog was forced to jerk back with a yelp of surprise. The bone had risen and thwacked him on the nose.

"Buddy, wake up!" it yelled at him. Buddy cocked his head, confused. "I said get _up_, you lazy bum!"

The bone took another swing, but the dog was too quick and leapt back.

Buddy woke when he leapt to his paws. Panting from fear of teh freaky dream he just had, the puppy shook himself and was about to go to his water bowl when his owner snatched him by the collar. As he dragged his dog outside he said, "You know i have a new girlfriend no who _hates_ dogs. You have to go outside unitl she leaves." he dropped Buddy on the back lawn. "And be quiet!"

The puppy's owner slammed the door shut, trapping Buddy in the fenced-in back yard.

Still thirsty and hungry, Buddy searched for a puddle to drink from. As he patrolled the yard, the retriever noticed a small hole in the bottom of the fence. Buddy knew he could do something useful with it, but he was so tired he could hardly think.

_That's weird_, he thought. _I'm a puppy! How can I be tired?I'm never tired._

Buddy looked up at the sky to check what time it was. It was a glum day, gray and cloudy. It was hard to see through the fluffy screen, but Buddy took note of teh bright lighting in the east. It must've been very early.

The first drops of rain began to fall. Buddy flicked water from his ear and trotted toward the shelter of a bush. Just as the pup was a couple of pawsteps from the shelter, a terrential downpour tumbled from the sky. The droplets were freezing, and Buddy shivered as his fur clung to his skin. A sudden streak of lightning flashed across the sky, and an earsplitting crack of thunter boomed overhead. Buddy was now wide awake from being so cold and the jolt from the loud noises around him. Hyped up and ready to go, Buddy jumped around, happily chasing the rain. Not paying attention, he collided into the fence with a yelp of surprise. It was then Buddy remembered the hole.

Buddy's mind was clear now, and the thought of running away seeped into his thoughts. Not waisting a moment, he got right to work. Digging as fast as he could, Buddy soon got the hole that had been the size of a mouse big enough for him to sleep in. Pressing his belly to the ground, the puppy squeezed under the fence to freedom, leaving only the fur he had snagged to show he was ever there.

_Cloe_

A one-year-old husky puppy watched as, every once in a while, a car flashed by on the neighborhood street. She lay on her belly, paws in front, her head resting neatly on top. Bored out of her mind, she let her blue-gray eyes trail after a beetle that was wandering aimlessly, it seemed, around the cement front porch. A curious glint came to her eyes when the beetle took flight, and she leapt up to chase it. She had only gone a few paces when she felt a familiar tug around her neck and was jerked back. She stoppd paning for a moment, remembering the uncomfortable collar and chain that kept her from having any freedom. Spirits trampled, she lay back down in the itchy grass.

It was then, too, that she got terrible hunger pains. Her stomach grumbled from neglect constantly, as the dog's owners barely fed her, if at all. Her coat was not as shiny or well kempt as it should have been, unhealthy from lack of vitamins. The people were nice enough, when they remembered they had a dog.

The husky had just started dozing off when a tortoiseshell she-cat leapt around a corner of the house.

"Good morning, Cloe," she mewed energetically.

Cloe blinked sleep from her eyes and lifted her head in greeting to her friend.

"Good morning," she replied. "Caught any mice recently?"

"No, but I did catch something else." The cat's amber eyes sparkled mischeviously. "I'll be right back." She dashed back around the house on her delicate white paws. Cloe anxiously flicked raindrops from her ears as a light drizzle began to fall.

When the cat returned with a rabbit in her mouth, Cloe nearly fainted from the warm scent. She stood, mouth wide open, drinking in the smell of food.

"Oh, Lastel, I-I don't know what to say!" she gasped as the cat dropped her prey at the paws of her friend.

"A simple thank you would be enough," purred the cat. Cloe devoured the rabbit in a matter of seconds and smacked her lips contentedly, her hunger satisfied.

"Well, then, thank you so much!"

Just then it started to pour, and Lastel yowled with surprise. The cat hated getting wet, but she stayed with the auburn-and-white pup a little longer.

"Well, I have to run," she mewed, then dashed off around the house again.

"Bye!" Cloe called after her as the tortoiseshell tail disappeared around the corner. The dog loped back up to the porch step, where she knew by the door of the house it would be a bit drier.

A while later, the husky pup lifted her head curiously as a golden pup ran across the street in front of her house. It was Buddy, the pup she had met at the dog park! She stood up to greet him, and the retriever nodded and ran up to her.

"Hi!" he yipped happily. Cloe noted the disheveled look of her friend, and she noticed there was some fur missing from his back.

"What happened to you? Where are your Keepers?"

Buddy shrugged, his mouth open in a grin. "I ran away. My Keeper was being annoying, yet again, so I just ran away."

Cloe shrugged in return, this seeming like a simple plan. Then she got an idea. She herself was fed up with her Keepers ignoring her all the time, and she would do anything to have a full meal for once in her life.

"Could...could I come run away with you?"

Buddy didn't hesitate to nod happily. Then he growled, "I'll get you out of that collar in no time!"

And, sure enough, he chewed his way through the cloth, and the dogs ran off into the street together.

"Wait! I just remembered something."

Cloe ran off to find Lastel, who she knew would be in the shed next door to her Keepers' house. She padded in, finding her friend cleaning herself, sitting up daintily. The cat looked up at her, surprise entering her shimmering eyes.

"You're free!"

"Yup, and I came to ask you to come with me. Buddy and I are going to escape. Are you in? I won't be coming back here any time soon."

Lastel paused. "In this weather?"

"I can't just wait until my only chance is taken from me by a stronger chain and collar!"

"Fine, I'll come."

_Cort_

A coffee and white corgy sat by the sliding glass door in the living room of his house. Cort was almost two years old, and he had never set foot in the outside world, not even for a walk. His Keepers' house was big, so he got a lot of exersize with his short legs, but what he wanted more than anything was to see the outdoors, so smell the crisp air, to roll in the soft grass.

"Believe me," Bekky, a boston terrier pup, had panted at him through the door, "It's nothing special."

But he had to believe that it was. It was the only thing keeping him happy in his life. No matter how spoiled he would seem from all his toys, he was not payed attention to, other than being fed, and he didn't like his Keepers all that much.

Cort had learned to understand some of his Keepers' talk, and he knew that today, a gray, miserable day, they would be getting some new furniture. It was a sofa, one of those things they sat on all night and watched their T.V. on. He didn't really think much of this, but when the people with the furniture came, his eyes brightened, and he readied a plan.

The sofa came sometime early in the day, just after the sun had risen. Cort saw the huge van parked out by the driveway, and he leapt up onto a chair to see out at what they were doing. One of his Keepers went to the door and peered outside, then left the house, calling something to the men in the truck. Out of the back, two grown men, bulging with muscle, carried out the sofa, their faces red with the weight of the thing. Cort's tail thumped excitedly on the seat of the chair, and he placed his paws on the back. When the Keeper opened the door wide so the men could come in, the corgy knew his time had come.

Leaping quickly down from the chair, the dog padded calmly over to the open door, his tail wagging wildly. The Keeper bent down to pat him on the head, but straightened up again to help the burly men haul in the funiture. Cort sat to the side, waiting for the perfect moment, unable to stop his tail from wagging.

When the movers were just inside, and the Keeper's hands were very full, the dog siezed his chance. Springing up from his seated position, he darted out the door and into the open air, and there was nothing his Keeper could do to stop him as he raced toward Bekky's house to tell her the news.

_Bekky_

The black-and-white boston terrier pup was laying lazily out on her front lawn. It was a gray day, promising rain, but she had no intention of going inside for shelter. She could't anyway. Bekky, at one and a quarter years old, had a life quite opposite to her friend, Cort. She was not allowed inside her house, she had no toys besides a bone she had found herself in someone else's yard, and the only time she ever saw her Keepers was when they came out to fill her food bowl on the back porch. She was not lonely, however, as she would take frequent walks to the dog park nearby and chat with the pups there.

She also liked to talk to Cort through the sliding glass door at his Keepers' place. They had a huge den, and Bekky had to look straight up to see the top. They had a large back yard with lots of flowers and bushes and trees, and a patio made of light brick that stretched almost all the way across the back of the house. This was where Bekky sat to talk to her older friend. She was there most of her day, chattering away and telling the dog of the smells and sights of the outdoors.

"_It's nothing special," she'd say. Cort would shake his head._

"_You have no idea what it would mean for me to get one whiff of the outside world, Bekky. I mean, don't you want to see what it's like inside?"_

"_Not really. Keepers like yours tend to keep you in there if they don't want you to leave." She sniffed. "And I like to be on my own."_

_Cort tilted his head. "But don't you get lonely out there by yourself?"_

"_Of course! That's why I'm always here. Don't you get bored inside all the time?"_

"_Yeah, and that's what I'm telling you. I want to go out, at least once in this pointless existance."_

_Bekky sighed. "Tell you what. First chance you get, run out of your house and never come back. Find me, and we can live outside for the rest of our lives, and neither of us will be lonely!"_

_Cort seemed to think this was impossible, but he nodded, this glimmer of hope seeping in through the glass that had always seperated us._

"_Okay."_

Bekky rolled over onto her back, letting the sun soak in to her pink-ish belly. Remembering this made her lonely yet hopeful at the same time, and she wished the dog would come and they could leave right away.

As if on cue, a cheerful barking sounded from down the road, and the pup shot up, recognizing Cort's voice.

"Over here, Cort! Here!"

The short figure of the dog came into view, his tongue lollying out and his small legs working twice the speed of any pup Bekky had ever seen.

"I did it, Bekky! They tried to catch me, but I was too quick! I'm free."

The male corgy panted for breath, but leaned over to lick Bekky on the ear anyway.

"Let's go now," he barked excitedly.

"Where will we go?" Bekky's worries suddenly came to her, realizing they had no particular plan.

Cort seemed to notice this, too, and his ears tilted to the left, a characteristing the boston terrier had noticed when he was in deep thought. Then his ears pricked and he started panting again.

"We can go to the dog park. Maybe someone there will know where we can go."

When she could come up with no better plan, Bekky followed her friend out of captivity and into the open world

_Tess_

"Who's a good giwl? Yes, you are, Tessy! You'we a good giwl!"

Tess, the one-and-a-half-year-old border collie pretended to like what her Keeper was doing—grabbing her muzzle with both huge paws and shaking her head, occasionally kissing the dog between the ears.

"You awe so pwetty today, awent you, sweety?"

Tess reluctantly licked one of the Keeper's salty paws, and this seemed to make them even more delighted. The dog's mouth stung with the stinging sweat of the Keeper, but they didn't seem to notice as they kept on torturing their poor pet.

"We have a beauty contest in a few weeks, don't we, muffin? You haven't lost yet, and we're going to win again, aren't we?"

Tess panted a reply, and the Keeper bent down to squeeze all the air out of her in a knee-locking embrace. It left her gasping for breath to go off into the kitchen to make an early breakfast, and to slop some disgusting wet dog food into the pup's bowl. With a sigh of distaste, Tess padded over to the bowl to take a few chomps of food, then to wash down the taste with metallic water. Tongue bitter with the aftertaste, she prepared herself for a short walk. The sun was just above the horizon, her usual time for the morning routine. She was hoping for the surprise of going to the dog park, but her Keeper mostly kept her away from the place. From Tess' thin understanding of their strange language, she could guess that her Keeper didn't like her getting dirty there and playing with the other "huligans" or "mischief-makers".

But to her delight, the Keeper soon took out her leash and fastened it to her pink collar. Tess almost bounced out the door in anticipation of going to the park. If she was just going for a regular walk, she would not have worn the leash—she was mostly an off-leash dog. But now that they were going to a public park, the pup was forced to wear one. Brown eyes shining, she practically dragged her Keeper along the side walk in the directon of the park.

_Spike_

"Get out there, mutt!" called the Keeper's unfriendly voice. A two-year-old rottweiler growled to himself as he pushed himself to his paws and angrily loped out the dog door on his back porch. Once outside, the dog raised his head to sniff the air warily. The sky was gray with unfallen rain, and it promised to storm soon.

Yet, as much as he wanted to go back in the house, the dog was forced to stay out in the uncomfortably damp air and go through his training. He was put in fights all the time, and he always won, but not without recieving the pink scars across his face and sides.

As he strode obediantly up to his Keeper, the heavy collar around his neck rubbed against his short black-and-brown fur. There was a detecter on the metal chain that would shock him whenever he reached the boundaries of the lawn. He had quickly learned to stay away from the edges as much as possible, as the shocks hurt badly.

But to his surprise, the Keeper did not want him to go through training. Instead of pointing its claw in a direction and howling at him, it stormed past back toward the house. As the dog turned his head to follow the human's movements, his brown eyes opened wide with indignation as the Keeper went inside and slammed the door behind it.

Just then a light drizzle began to fall. There was no cover in the barren yard, and the dog hated being wet. Trotting around to find some knook to hide in, he got a nagging feeling that dragged him toward the far end of the yard from the house. There was a small wood there, and he had always been forbidden from it, one of those reasons being the shocking collar. It would be nearly suicide trying to get out of there with that pain, but the dog realized that he'd rather die than stay where he was.

Gathering up his courage, the dog bunched his muscles and readied himself for massive pain. With a stifled howl, Spike leapt through the barrier. A pain he had never experienced before, not even in the worst of dog-fights, clenched his strong body in merciless claws. He saw a blinding flash of light, swealed in pain, then all was dark, and he fell with a thud into the cover of a holly bush in the woods.

**So, what did you think? I want at least five reviews before I continue, so please R&R! I want to know what people think of the story. Thanks! –Spiritwind**


	2. An Unexpected Meeting

**Sigh me sad. hardly anyone reviewed! well, thanks Skyfeather and BlindSeer. I suppose it's cuz this got buried... anyway, done with finding excuses, enjoy the chappie!**

_Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors._

Buddy, Cloe, and Lastel reached the dog park. It was so early, no one was there yet, so they decided to take a sniff around. Cloe had never been inside the place, and Buddy had only been there a couple times, so they wanted to become familiar. If they couldn't find a place to live soon, perhaps they would stay here?

Lastel said she was going to have a look beyond the wire fence. She easily found footholes in the holes in the mesh, and was over in just seconds. The dogs, however, found that thier paws were too large and clumsy for them to climb over, so they asked the cat to report to them what it was like. Instead, the pups went in a different direction.

An unfamiliar scent reached Cloe's nose, and she stopped to raise her head and sniff. It was drizzling, so why would a Keeper be out with its dog? Yet, it was surely a young border collie and its Keeper, so the husky barked to Buddy to come over. They crouched in a bush, waiting for the pair to come into view. Finally, a black-and-white shape appeared through the mist, and behind it, holding onto her leash, was the Keeper, a female, if Cloe was correct.

The dogs knew the human would not notice them, but the border collie sniffed the air, then stopped, turning toward the undergrowth where the pups were hiding.

"Come out," she growled. "I know you're there!"

Her Keeper had stopped, too, and was tugging on the leash that bound the dog to her. She was yapping something in their odd language, but it seemed to Cloe that she was telling the border collie to come. But the dog stubbornly stood her ground. Knowing that she would not leave, Buddy stepped out first, the husky following at his flank.

"Come on, then," the stranger said, and she trotted after her Keeper toward the park.

Keeping up with her, Cloe asked, "What's your name?"

"Tess. And yours?"

"Cloe, and the retriever is Buddy."

"What're you doing here?"

"Running away from home. We're trying to find a place to stay."

"You _what_?" snapped Tess, quite unexpectedly, but she kept walking alongside her Keeper, her face turned toward the pups.

"We were being neglected, so we ran away. We're going to fend for ourselves now, along with a tortoiseshell cat named Lastel," Buddy added. Tess nodded slowly once, showing that now she understood.

"Ah."

There was a long awkward pause, during which the Keeper opened the dog park gate and they all walked in. Tess was let off her leash, and the three dogs joined Lastel, making introductions. Afterwards, the border collie pup looked like she wanted to say something, and her paws shifted uncomfortably.

"What is it?" asked Cloe, curious.

"Well, I was thinking, what would you say if there was one more dog living with you?"

A shocked silence greeted her words, in which Cloe noticed Tess was wishing she hadn't said anything. Cat, golden retriever, and husky all exchanged glances, then Cloe stated their unspoken decision.

"We'd love to have you with us. Just, what is your reason? We don't just want to take a curious dog because they feel like coming."

"My Keeper is so incredibly annoying!" Tess barked, making the trio jump. "She's always pup-talking me and pampering me, and she makes me go in some putrid dog shows. I _hate_ my life! It's so _obnoxious_!"

There was a long pause, then, "You're in!"

The talk was interrupted by some barking at the fence.

"Oh, it's Bekky!" Buddy yapped. Then he looked at Cort. "And that must be the corgy she always talks about. What's she doing here without her Keeper?"

"I don't know, but let's let her in," Tess suggested, already on her way to the gate door. "Here you go, guys," she barked, unlatching the lock and letting the door swing open. "Where are your Keepers?"

"We ran away!" Bekky yipped, a touch whistfully. "We're free now!"

"What are you going to do?"

The boston terrier's face fell. "Well, I don't know."

Cort chuckled. "We didn't think that over."

"Why don't you join us?" suggested Buddy excitedly, his tail wagging. "Cloe and I ran away too, and Tess is joining us. You can come to the forest, which is where we're going to live!"

"Wait." Cloe and Tess turned to face the pup. "The forest?"

"Yes, that's the most private place, and our Keepers would never guess to look there."

Cort shrugged. "Sounds good to me, but we'd better leave quickly. My Keepers aren't going to let me get away this easily. They're probably looking for me now."

Buddy nodded. "Mine, too. C'mon, we'll just walk out now!"

"Are you _mad_?" growled Tess. "My Keeper is right there!" She jerked her head at the bench not three fox lengths away. "She'll have me by the time we reach that tree!"

Bekky turned her head to look the plump human up and down, then snorted. "She's fat. We can out-run her easily!"

"Bekky!" Tess scolded, but her eyes were filled with amusement and hope. "Very well, then, let's go now."

"Wait, she's coming over to close the gait!" barked Cloe, her eyes wide as the Keeper approached quickly with every stride.

"Then we have to go... NOW!" howled Buddy, all thrilled with the exileration of the chase. Cloe and the other dogs started at the noise, but quickly chased after the pup, the Keeper barking something at them and close on their heels. Cloe laughed and howled alongside the retriever, giddy and feeling like she could do anything. She cleared the bush they had hidden in before with such ease that it seemed that it wasn't over three times her hight. The others followed close behind, Cort and Bekky the last, panting hard from the work they had done with their short legs.

"Well, where to now?" asked Bekky once all the dogs had caught their breath. Suddenly there was a loud _crack_ from the bushes they had just cleared, and then the hollering voice of Tess' Keeper drifted to their ears.

"I don't know, but we'd better get there fast!" whined Tess nervously.

"This way, then," Bekky suggested, jogging off into the undergrowth.

When Cloe caught up to her she asked, "How do you know where you're going?"

"Oh, I've been around." The pup glanced at her mischeviously, then went back to looking straight ahead. Sighing, Cloe dropped back to run with Buddy, who looked like he needed a major chat.

The dogs hadn't traveled long when a row of houses came into view. Other than the scent of Keepers came the scent of a... was it a dog?

"Hey, Bekky, stop for a minute!" Cloe called. The pup did as she was told, then smelled the stranger too. "Wait here, Tess and I will go investigate."

The border collie broke away from the group, where she had been keeping guard in the back, and followed the scent to a bush fairly close to one of the Keeper's yards. Cloe, being the smallest of the two, slipped under the prickly branches of the bush, her belly fur brushing the ground. She was surprised to find an unconcious rottweiler, looking quite ferocious, even in his sleep. He had numerous pink scars across his face, and there was a large metalic-looking box attatched to the chain that was his collar. Not knowing exactly what to do, the husky dragged out the dog, flinching when her fur snagged on the holly leaves.

All the dogs and one cat had gathered close by, and when the rottweiler came into view, they all gasped in fear, taking a step backwards. Tess, on the other hand, looked sympathetic toward the stranger, and walked up to inspect his scarred body.

"He's not injured, but unconcious for whatever reason." Then her eyes fell on the box around his neck, and her eyes filled with sympathy. "He must've broken through his electric fence. That's what knocked him out, all that pain was too much, and the electricity must've shocked his brain."

The group looked utterly confused, so Tess dismissed the matter with a swish of her tail.

"We should bring him with us, at least until he wakes up, and then we can hear his story. If he doesn't want to stay, then he'll be able to track his way back to his Keepers."

It sounded like a good idea, so all the dogs and Lastel nodded. It was quite a task dragging the large dog to a clearing Bekky scouted out, but Tess didn't complain, and when one dog got tired, she'd take on their load. When they had made nests for themselves, and the sun was already dipping behind the trees, the dog came to.

"Hmmm..." he groaned sleepily, then opened his big yellow eyes. He yawned, revealing monstrous teeth, then blinked, jumping once he realized he was not alone. He pulled back his lip, showing his deadly-sharp fangs, and bristled. "Who are you? Where am I?"

"We are Tess, Bekky, Cort, Buddy, Cloe, and Lastel. You are in a clearing in the middle of the forest. And who are you?" Tess replied easily, as if she had rehearsed it.

The dog seemed to relax a bit when he realized he was not being attacked, but still remained hostile. "I'm Spike. Why have you brought me here?"

"Tess and I found you under a holly bush by your den, and since it looked like you'd been trying to get away from them, we decided to take you with us. You see, all of us dogs have run away from home."

Only then did Spike completely relax, but now he looked confused. "Where's my shock box?"

"I took it off you, with great effort," Tess growled. "I know what those things can do. I'm sorry, but we were unable to release you from the chain. It's too hard to break and too small to get over your head."

The rottweiler nodded, understanding, then collapsed onto his side once more. "My head is killing me," he whined.

"Here, have some poppy seeds," suggested Lastel, padding over with a leaf wrapped around the small black specks. Spike licked them up eagerly, then lay his head back down in his paws.

"Thanks," he grunted.

"So, Spike, are you going to stay with us or what?" growled Bekky, obviously eager to send the dog on his way or settle with him.

"Hmm?"

"Do you want to go back with your Keepers or stay with us," Cort cleared up.

"Oh, stay with you, of course!"

"Well, then, tomorrow we should be on our way to finding a home of our own."

**Sorry, I couldn't think of an interesting ending to the chapter. I hope you likie! Please, please, _please_ R&R! If you're reading this and not reviewing, please do. I just want to know there are people interested in this! If not, I'll just take it off. Well, hopefully see you next chapter! –Spiritwind**


	3. Drawn

**Pretty long chapter, for me at least. I hope you like it! So sorry for the immensely long wait…**

_Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors._

Tess shook moss, fern, and dust out of her fur, waking up after the dogs' first night away from home. So far, the Keepers hadn't come to find them, so they were safe. Lastel, Cloe's feline friend, had nothing to worry about, as she was a stray. The border collie's jaws parted in a huge yawn, and her tongue curved out as she took in air, allowing herself to taste what the fresh morning forest had for her. She shut her mouth fast when she was done, then stretched her front legs far in front of her, then her hind legs out back, making sure not to miss a muscle.

Beside her, Spike snorted disdainfully, shaking his head, then rising to shake the rest of his body. The motion did not cause quite as big of a dust cloud as Tess' had, since the rotweiler's fur was so short.

"What're you trying to do, swathe me in your filthy nest?"

"Sorry," Tess grunted.

Growling obnoxiously, Spike plodded away to find breakfast.

"Well, he woke up on the wrong side of the den." Cort padded up to stand beside his new friend. "What's up with him?"

"I think he's always like that," Bekky growled good-naturedly, coming to stand on the corgy's other side. "It may just be me, but rotweilers seem to get a bit testy at times."

"I hear that," Cort grumbled, but a glint of amusement lit his amber eyes. Clearing his throat to change the subject, the dog turned to Tess. "So, where are we headed now?"

The black-and-white female took a step back. "Whoa, don't ask me! It wasn't my idea of where to go!"

"I think I know a way to a bigger forest," Bekky added. "I'm not sure what's in it; I was too afraid to go that far from home alone, but it's big and far away from Keepers."

"Sounds good to me." Buddy shrugged when he came to join the dogs with a rabbit in his mouth. He dropped the prey in front of the group. "Wanna share? Could it take us as far as that forest?"

Bekky's mouth twisted in thought as she worked out the route. "I suppose, but why don't we wait to see what Lastel catches and share that before we go."

Tess hadn't noticed the cat had gone, but now that she looked around the clearing, the tortoiseshell was no where to be found. All the dogs nodded, but Tess wondered why they weren't thinking of sharing what Spike brought back.

_Probably because they're scared of him lashing out_, she thought, slightly amused.

The rabbit was devoured quickly, and Lastel returned in no time with three mice and a fleshy magpie. Spike had also come back, but he ate by himself on the far side of the clearing from the other animals. Tess was suddenly worried and a bit protective, and it took all of her self control not to lay down beside him and press against his flank, to tell him that she was there for him and he could tell her anything.

Forcing her gaze away from the other dog, Tess decided that they should be getting on their way. She voiced this when all the prey was gone, and the other dogs agreed. So, without hesitation, Bekky took the lead of the group with Cort beside her, Buddy, Cloe, and Lastel just behind, while Tess dropped back to jog with Spike, who was looking depressed as a hornet in winter.

"What's bugging you?" she whined.

"Nothing," grunted the rotweiler moodily.

Tess chewed her lip, thinking of what to say.

"Okay, just know that you can come to me if you need anything."

Spike paused. "Well, don't worry about it, 'cause I don't."

Tess fell silent as she continued to trot perfectly in step beside the older, larger male. The sky was getting clearer as the day drew on, the sun rising above the trees of the small wood they were in. Fluffy white clouds drifted across a bright blue sky, and the air tasted crisp with mid-fall temperatures on the brink of making the dogs fluff out their fur against the cold.

Suddenly, the troop stopped. Tess halted just before colliding with Cloe, then peered around her friends to see what was going on. Just ahead of Bekky was a wide stream, not fast-flowing, but deep.

"We'll have to swim, guys," the terrier barked so all of the animals could her. "I hope none of you mind getting your fur wet."

Below Tess, Lastel shifted uncomfortably.

"I do," she heard the cat grumble to Cloe. "I hate water. You know that."

"I could carry you," the husky suggested.

Lastel paused, then shook her head. "No. That would just weigh you down." A shadow of sadness clouded the tortoiseshell's eyes. "I think I'm going home, Cloe. The wild isn't for me, even if I am a stray."

Cloe's eyes widened in surprise. "No, please stay! I don't want you to leave. We've been friends for as long as I can remember. Don't go!"

"I have to. My place is here."

There was a long pause, then, "I could carry her."

Tess' head swung around to look straight at Spike, who had unwillingly spoken the words. Everyone else copied her actions, yet more astonished than proud.

"Oh, really?" Cloe yipped excitedly. "You would do that?"

"If it'll shut you up, then yes," Spike grunted, but Tess knew that wasn't the reason.

"Lastel, will you?" Cloe turned hopefully to her best friend. It nearly made Tess' heart break when Lastel shook her head sadly and she saw the pup's crushed expression.

"My place is here," the cat repeated. "Not out in the cold and rain."

"But _my_ place is with you," Cloe whimpered.

"Then stay!" Now it was Lastel's turn to be both hopeful and disappointed, but she had already known the answer.

"I can't go back to those forgetful Keepers! You'll have to bring me food all the time again."

Lastel's eyes gleamed with tears. "I don't mind that. I'd hunt for you all seasons if it meant you staying home. You could be a stray with me!"

Cloe sighed the most melancholy sigh Tess had ever heard. "No. I have to find my place somewhere else. I just wish you would be there to find it with me."

"I've already found my place."

There was a long pause, in which a song sparrow chirped melodiously, accompanied by the tapping of a feeding woodpecker. The faint sound of cars on the black path nearby whooshed toward the group, making Tess unexpectedly homesick.

"Well." Cloe gulped and unusually large amount of fluid, choking back tears. "I g-guess this is good…bye."

"Yes, I s-suppose it is."

Cat and dog gingerly touched noses for just a moment, their eyes locking in a teary gaze, then Lastel leapt off into the undergrowth back toward the Keepers' dens. Cloe stared after her until she was out of sight, then snapped her head forward and stared blankly at the ground. Buddy, who had been beside her the whole time, pressed his golden flank against her white and red-ish-brown one. The husky gratefully buried her face in the retriever's long shaggy fur, shaking with sobs.

Cort coughed. "We haven't taken a rest since we left. That was just after sunrise, and now it's after sunhigh. Why don't we go hunting? Then we can cross the stream."

Tess realized only then that her belly was growling at her with hunger, and she nodded agreement. Spike, without a word, had bounded off without responding, and the ferns through which he had disappeared still quivered from his passing. Deciding to take a similar route as the dog, Tess padded after him.

It was no unusual path that would lead off somewhere without prey, and the female had to linger for a few moments downwind as Spike tracked a rabbit. Deciding she would find him later, Tess went off to find her own food.

A flutter in some holly bushes caught her eye. It was a mockingbird, plump despite the coming winter. Its glossy gray feathers seemed to meld with each other, but stood out against the bright green of the holly leaves. Not wanting to get herself a few good scratches, Tess waited for the bird to hop out into the open. Not waisting any time, she leapt at it, managing to snag its tail between her teeth as it tried to fly away, shreaking a cry.

Trying desperately not to chase off any more of the prey in the woods, Tess struggled to bring down the bird, but instead it wrenched its tail from her mouth, leaving two beige feathers for the dog to spit out. As she glared after her escaped meal, Tess heard a mocking growl coming from the undergrowth behind her, remiding the female of the bird she had just been trying to catch.

"You need to work on your hunting skills."

Whipping around angrily to look at the speaker, Tess colored when she realized it was Spike. She didn't know why, but she felt even more humiliated than she would have with anyone else.

"And I suppose you could do better?" she sniffed.

"Already have." Spike reached behind him and turned to drop a large buck rabbit in front of Tess. "We can share this, and then I'll teach you to hunt like a real dog. Or, better yet, a wolf."

Tess raised a brow. "Wolf? No dog can hunt half as well as a wolf."

"They can if they try hard enough," Spike growled, taking a step toward the female and sending a thrilling shiver down her spine. "It's in our blood."

The rotweiler and border collie locked eyes, and Tess tried her best to look beyond the beautiful golden color of the male's orbs, but for the first time in her life, she was unable to break through the force of his protective barrier. Yet the intensity of the feelings within Spike almost swept the younger dog away, and she was almost shaken by the time he dropped his gaze and bent his head to nose the rabbit closer to Tess.

"So, you want the first bite? I don't think you've ever had any raw meat before. I'm guessing you came from a pretty sheltered home not to know how to hunt."

With a half-hearted growl, Tess gingerly nibbled a morsel from the rabbit's side. Loving the warmth of fresh kill, she ate another, larger bite, and Spike began to eat as well. Tess thought she was going to faint at the smell of his hot breath, tasting of the wilds. When the rabbit was nothing more than a small pile of frail bones, Spike licked his chops and his eyes narrowed mischeviously.

"So, you ready for some hunting? Though I don't suppose it'll do any good—females would never be able to hunt as well as a male can."

Tess revealed sharp, gleaming white fangs, letting out a snarl. "I'll show you hunting! I can do this on my own, once I know how, and then you'll see if males are any better than a pup!"

Spike growled knowingly. "Ah, but little dove, you are but a pup."

Tess looked at him, not knowing what to say. It was true—Tess was eighteen moons old while Spike was twenty four.

"Well, shall we get started?" the rotweiler suggested, and, not waiting for an anwer, bounded off to a different part of the forest. "We'll have to go far from here, since you practically scared every mouselet out of this wood."

Following obediantly, Tess longed to be closer to Spike, but held back, afraid of what he would do. Not afraid of being lashed out at, but afraid of being hurt inside.

0000

Spike taught Tess how to hunt with every ouce of patience he had. She was a quick learner, he had to give her that, but he knew it was only because she wanted to prove herself. Just before the sun was dipping below the treetops, the border collie had managed to catch a slow-reacting mouse.

"Good job," he growled. Then bared his teeth in a grin as he added, "For a female pup."

Tess lifted her nose into the air. "I'll bet you didn't do any better on your first hunt."

Spike paused, wondering if he should tell the pup. "My first hunt was that rabbit."

It was the truth. He only knew how to hunt from the other rotweilers and pit-bulls who lived with him at his Keeper's place. They had taught him of the different tecniques, as he had been the youngest of the fighting dogs. He had tasted raw meat before, though, because that was all he was fed, in order for his Keeper to make sure he still had the heart of a killer. Sometimes he would have a raccoon to chase out of their training yard, but otherwise, Spike had never really had the thrill of a hunt.

"It still comes to show that I'm better than you."

"No, not necessarily." Spike's brow furrowed and he cocked his head in confusion. "I didn't even know how to hunt, and I managed to catch something, even if I didn't kill it."

Spike grunted. "You'd be amazed what _I've_ caught in my life."

"You said this was your first hunt."

Some of the dog's fur bristled with a fighting spirit. "There are more things to catch than prey."

He saw Tess shiver and noticed he was making her uncomfortable, and having a sudden loathing of making the pup scared, Spike changed the subject.

"We should probably head back. I'm sure your friends are waiting for us."

Tess nodded, and she fell in step with the rotweiler. Then she glanced up at him with her warm brown eyes and muttered, "I didn't know them until moments before you did. At least, barely knew them. They're not my friends…yet."

And just with that phrase, Spike felt unusually drawn to her. They had something in common none of the other dogs did—They were outsiders, no matter how different their situations had been.

**Aww, they're falling in love. So cute! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please R&R! I know there are more people out there reading this, and if you just send me something blank, that's fine with me, I just want to know that there are more people reading! –Spiritwind**


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